Hillary Clinton Chooses Tim Kaine as Her Running Mate—Here’s His Energy Record

Stephen Lacey is the Editor-in-Chief of Greentech Media. He manages a team of writers focused on solar, storage, efficiency, mobility, and grid modernization. He is producer/host of The Energy Gang and Interchange podcasts, two leading interview and analysis shows on the business of energy and cleantech.

Hillary Clinton's choice of Sen. Tim Kaine as her running mate was largely considered a safe political choice, adding a moderate Democrat from the swing state of Virginia to her ticket. Kaine has mostly shared Clinton's views on climate and clean energy, but his selection unsettled those who wanted a vice president with more appeal to the ardent environmentalists who flocked to Bernie Sanders' campaign.

Groups like the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation came out strongly in his support, but others such as 350.org and Climate Hawks Vote were more skeptical. The latter summed up its view in one terse, laconic word: "Meh."

According to the green group 350.org, "Tim Kaine won't energize the climate base, so it's up to Hillary to start staking out some clearer positions."

The League of Conservation Voters, however, celebrated the decision, calling Kaine "an environmental leader." The Sierra Club called it "the strongest environmental ticket we've ever seen."

The zero-fuel aeroplane, Solar Impulse, has left the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on the last leg of its global tour. The aircraft should take about 48 hours to reach Abu Dhabi, UAE -- the place it began the circumnavigation in March 2015.

Pilot Bertrand Piccard is at the controls one final time. His flight ought to be fairly straightforward, although his team has some concerns about how the heat in the Middle East may affect the plane.

Shanghai Samsung Semiconductor bought 52.3 million BYD shares at 57.4 yuan apiece in a private placement that raised 14.5 billion yuan in total from six investors, according to a statement to the Shenzhen stock exchange. The fundraising will dilute billionaire Chairman Wang Chuanfu's stake by about 1.9 percentage points to 18.8 percent.

Donald Trump has vowed to continue fighting the wind farm development off the coast from his Aberdeenshire golf course, branding the project an act of “public vandalism."

The U.S. presidential candidate returned to the fray after Swedish energy company Vattenfall confirmed on Thursday that it is going ahead with its £300M investment, despite last month’s EU referendum vote.

The offshore wind farm has been dogged by years of bitter legal wrangles between Trump and the Scottish government over its impact on his golf course, which the tycoon ultimately lost in the courts last year.

Coal has been having a bit of a moment. The laggard among major raw materials after the Bloomberg Commodity Index reached its nadir in January, since mid-May it's been on a tear. Benchmark thermal coal at Australia's Newcastle port has gained 24 percent over the past two months and hit its highest level in 16 months on Monday.

Don't hope for too much. There are many victories on the road to ruin, and even a dead cat can bounce. Aluminum prices have fallen 37 percent over the past five years, but have had monthly gains of more than 10 percent on three separate occasions.